Youngkin vetoes higher minimum wage despite economic research, by Michael O’Grady
Virginia’s minimum wage recently increased to $12.41 per hour. Democrats sought a higher increase last year but Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed that effort. In his veto explanation, the governor repeated talking points used for the last half-century, including economic freedom …
President Trump will raise your energy bills, by Ben Jealous
Rate payers, beware. President Donald Trump’s eagerness to enrich his fossil fuel industry allies with a “drill baby drill” and “export baby export” agenda will raise energy costs for American households.
Past mayors’ priorities left Richmond’s infrastructure in ruin
Don’t blame Mayor Danny Avula for Levar M. Stoney and the other mayors’ mess!
Born day
Today, The Richmond Free Press is 33 years old.
Urban League prepares for fight ahead, by Marc H. Morial
At the current rate of progress, it will take between 100 and 300 years for Black Americans to achieve parity with white Americans.
Carter’s funeral brings much-needed vision of peace, by Clarence Page
When he showed up at the Chicago Tribune one day in early 1976, James Earl Carter Jr., was announced by one of our young newsroom copy clerks as “that governor from Georgia who thinks he can run for president.”
Virginia Beach incident inspires fair housing initiative, by Roger Chesley
I had hoped Raven Baxter — the Black woman who was rebuffed by an elderly white home-seller from buying a Virginia Beach condo because of her race – would keep fighting until she got the keys to her castle. In …
Richmond showed resilience, but accountability is needed
Kudos go out to the citizens of Richmond, some of whom were without water for several days. Many of us looked out for those who were not able to get out (ex. buying food, bottled water, etc.) Thanks to some …
Lessons in kindness from a mother’s care
I was touched by the lovely story by Hazel Trice Edney. (Free Press, Jan. 2-4 edition) Members of my generation at some point have faced decisions about parent care.
Biden administration delivers big for coastal communities, by Ben Jealous
It may be the dead of winter, but when we think of our beaches, none of us want to picture them covered in oil.
MAGA takes on Elon Musk’s ‘tech bros’, by Clarence Page
Just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump was scheduled to return to the White House, the coterie of American tech oligarchs who played a decisive role in re-electing him was busy exerting their own power in ways that suggest the MAGA …
Jimmy Carter remembered as a man of faith, humility, by Julianne Malveaux
Tens of thousands of words will be published in tribute to Jimmy Carter, our beloved 37th president. A renaissance man, diplomat, philanthropist, civil rights icon and so much more, he is most aptly described, in my opinion, as a man …
The governor fiddles while Virginia smokes, by Phillip E. Thompson
The tale of Emperor Nero fiddling while Rome burned has become a metaphor for leaders ignoring pressing crises. In Virginia, this imagery feels all too real as Gov. Glenn Youngkin appears content to let the state’s illegal marijuana market thrive …
Countdown on for TikTok, by Cullen Seltzer
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up TikTok’s plea for a stay of its own partial execution. The first round of briefs were due just before Christmas. The second and final round was due Jan. 3.
New world water
I sit here and wonder, How in the world this could be, my-oh-my I never thought, oh, I never thought you’d ever leave me But now that you left me Good Lord, good Lord, how I cried out You don’t …
